3 min readJul 31, 2026 06:56 PM IST
Indian teams made their biggest-ever appearance at the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, with multiple organisations competing across different titles. The Free Fire campaign delivered a historic moment but ended on a disappointing note.
Three Indian teams, Team Apex Gaming, S8UL Esports, and Total Gaming Esports, made history by qualifying for the Free Fire World Cup, marking India’s first-ever presence in the event. Team Apex provided the tournament’s brightest moment for India, securing a Booyah in the Survival Stage, the country’s first at a Free Fire World Cup, and finishing second in their group to reach the Grand Finals. The title round, however, proved brutal. Both S8UL and Team Apex finished at the bottom of the 12-team leaderboard, with S8UL in 11th place and Apex in 12th. Total Gaming Esports were eliminated earlier in the Survival Stage despite winning two Booyahs. Mexico’s LYON took the trophy with a record-breaking 33-elimination performance.
India’s chess campaign is yet to begin, scheduled for August 11-15. Grandmasters Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin, and Arjun Erigaisi are set to represent the country in the $1.5 million tournament after qualifying through the Champions Chess Tour.
PUBG Mobile, featuring two Indian teams, is also still to come. The tournament runs from August 6 to 16. GodLike Esports, India’s top seed after winning BMPS 2026, have been placed in the tougher Group B alongside Team Vitality and Wolves Esports, while Orangutan are in Group A with DRX, RRQ, and FURIA.
India’s Representation at Esports Nation Cup 2026
The Esports Foundation will host the Esports Nation Cup (ENC) 2026 later this year in November in Riyadh. India’s Charanjot Singh earned a place through the FC Pro World Rankings. The 23-year-old, who has also represented India at the FIFAe Nations Cup and FC Pro World Championship, received a direct invite as the nation’s highest-ranked player in the FC Pro World Rankings.
India has now secured representation in seven titles at ENC 2026: Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Chess, EA Sports FC, Honor of Kings, Rocket League, Trackmania and VALORANT. The nation earned a special invite in BGMI and Honor of Kings. In Chess, Grandmaster Nihal Sarin qualified directly through the official ENC Rankings, while Mitrabha Guha secured his place through the regional qualifiers. India’s Rocket League team, VALORANT team and Trackmania star Kunal Upreti (Spark) also earned their spots at the global event through their respective regional qualifiers.
A maximum of two players from each country or territory may qualify for the ENC 2026, including those who have already received direct invitations. With Charanjot already securing one of India’s two available spots, one more Indian player can still qualify through the South Asia regional qualifier, where a total of four players will advance to the ENC 2026 main event.
